Citizens in Taicang, Jiangsu province, will be able to enjoy using public bicycles starting Jan 1, 2015, with the first 1,200 public bicycles planned to be put into 56 rental spots.

The rental spots cover areas with large flow of people, including Shanghai Road, Taiping Road, Renmin Road, Taicang People's Hospital and the Passenger Transport Station. The public bicycle service is only available for residents aged 14 to 70. People over 18 can apply for rental cards with their ID cards or resident cards at Taicang Public Bicycle Service Co (located at the Chengbei parking lot on North Changchun), the Central Square and RT-Mart (No 18 on South Taiping Road). People have to pay 200 yuan ($32.51) for a deposit. Recharging requires at least 10 yuan. Teenagers from 14 to 17 shall be accompanied by their parents.

The public bicycles are free in the first hour. Users will be charged 1 yuan for the second hour, 2 yuan for the third hour, and 3 yuan per hour for the fourth hour and above. The rental service time runs from 6 am to 9 pm and the return service hours are from 6 am to 10 pm.

The rental process will be very simple. People will swipe their card to unlock a bike, and there will be voice prompt. When returning the bike, people shall place the bike into a parking lock and pull the bike gently to make sure that it has been returned successfully. If a bike is lost or damaged by the renter, he or she will be required to compensate for the loss.

If there are any questions, residents can get help from the staff in five rental stations, including the Youth & Children's Center, Loudong Hotel, Passenger Transport Station, Central Square and RT-Mart. A service hotline at 12319 will also be available from 6 am to 10 pm.